Power Cookies

Ok, she didn’t quite eat a leaf, but she picked a leaf from a tree in our yard, and took a couple of hefty bites.

I quickly fished the masticated leaf bits out of her mouth, and contemplated a call to poison control or whatever it’s called, but she assured me—in the way that only a three year old can provide assurance—that she didn’t actually swallow.

Phew, I suppose.

Except she now knows the attention-grabbing power of eating garden greenery. Bean: 1. Mama: zero.

But Mama has cookies. And cookies make everything right. Especially when the cookies simultaneously (1) contain chocolate, and (2) are good for you. And by “good for you” I mean 6 grams of protein (yup, as much as an egg), less than 200 calories, no refined sugar (ok, except possibly in the chocolate, but that’s optional, anyway), and heaps of whole grains. You could actually eat one of these for breakfast (I have done it) and feel nary a twinge of guilt. Though I definitely look with skepticism upon most “healthy cookie” claims, this is the real thing. A true smart cookie.

These also happen to taste uh-mazing. A little bit browned and chewy on the exterior, soft and chocolatey on the interior, with an awesome crunch from the millet and the pumpkin seeds.

Best of all, you can tell your kidlets that you made them “Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies” (wink wink) and they will never suspect otherwise.